Steam-engine.



No. 839,286. PA-TENTEDDEG. 25, 190e.

lJ. G. GILBBATH.

l STEAM ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 15, 1905.

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PATENTEDDBC. 25,1906.

J'. G. GILRBATH."

STEAM ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 15. 1905).

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JAMESA G. GILREATH.- OF wiLKEsBORO, NORTHOAROLINA, AssIGNOR OF ONE-HALF To ARTHUR L. COMBs, OF. wiLKEsBORO, NORTH OAROLINA.

STEAM-ENGINE.

and useful Steam-Engine; andl I do hereby Adeclare thefollo'wing tovbera full, clear, and exact description of the'invention, such as' will enable others skilled in theart to Awhich Vit appertainsto make and use the same. i

. This invention relates to engines,y and es,-

pecially to that class known as steam-en,-y

g'ines g and the main object of the invention is to provide means to overcome the dead.- center of the driving crankshaft-'that is to say, when the crank of the driving-'shaft has reached a point where it is in a direct hori.- Zontal line with the pitman and `the crosshead, which has reciprocating movement in guides and which is also connected directly with the piston-rod. f

More especially. he means for obtaining this purpose comprises a sliding ratchet-bar,

which is connected to a pitman, a cross-head,

and a piston-rod, which is driven bythe auxiliary cylinder, and also means for raising y the `ratchet-bar atthe requisite moment for starting the engine, comprising a yreciprocating element having cam-teeth;on the bottom thereof which are adapted to engage recesses upon the base ofthe engine.

The invention comprises other and'further objects and advantages and combinations, of elements and arrangements of parts, which will be hereinafter more fullydescribed and then defined in the appended claim.

My invention isil ustrated in the accom# panying drawings, which, with the characters of reference marked thereon, form a part of this application and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a stationary engine, showing my improved means for overcoming the dead-center of the operating power crank-shaft. Fig. 2 is a side elevation,

partly broken away, to vshow more clearly the improved means for obtaining the pur-y pose set forth; and Fig.` 3 is a detail view of the ratchet-bar and the reciprocating element for raising said ratchet-bar.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by characters, 1 designates the base of the entire stationary engine, having the usual steam-chest 2, the steam-cylinder i Specification of Letters Patent. l.

Application led June 15, 1905. Serial No. 265.36874 Patented Dec. 25, 1906-.

3, and the auxiliary cylinder 4. To allow steam to enter the steam-chest, the-steam cylinder, and the auxiliary cylinder, a pipe 5 is provided, as is clearly shown in the accompanying drawings.l i Adapted to be driven by the steam-cylinder is a piston-rod 7, which is connected direct with the usual reci rocating cross-head 8, which has 'horizonta reciprocating motion in the usual guidewaysQ,

said cross-head being connected to .thepitman 1 0, which in turn is'pivotally mounted,

as at 11, to the crank portion of theoperating `driving-shaft 12. As will be understood, steam kenters the-auxiliary cylinder through the pipes a, b, and c, after which the steam circulates therethrough and operates.

the piston, (not shown,) which is carried by the piston-rod 19, thereby causin'g'the'said rod to reciprocate. The construction oi' the steam-chest and auxiliary cylinder may be lany conventional form to obtain the proper lcirculation of steam tooperate the coperating parts of the device, which construction ,forms no part of the present invention.

Mounted upon said driving-shaft is a spurgear 13, which is adapted to be engaged at the requisite moment by the rack-bar y14, which hasv a horizontal sliding movement in suitable guides 15, said rack-bar being connected to the vpitman 16, which is connected to another cross-head 17, which ,also has a horizontal movement in `suitable guides 18, said cross-head being also concesses 22 upon the base of the engine, which will raise the rack-bar sufficiently to engage the spur-gear 13 for starting the engine. Said device is provided with suitable handle 23 for'operating said device. This device 20 is adapted to raise the reciprocating rack-bar iston-rod 19,

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" of the pitinan and the crank-shaft 12 stops in aV direct horizontal plane with the pistonrod` 7 ythe reciprocating rack-barwill 'be raised'by the device 20 for starting the engine again, after Which the reciprocating rack-bar' is ready to bedrivenou'tward by the auxiliary cylinder, thereby rotating the.

spur-gear in the saine direction, and by such rotation the pivotal connection 11 will be carried pastthe dead-center. The device is operated bythe handle 23 at the requisite rnornent to raise the rack-bar 14.

' The construction of the steam-cylinder,

` the steani-chest, and the auxiliary cylinder is well understood, and therefore it is not necessary to describe the operation of the saine. `Offcourse it is distinctly understood that various 'changes can be niade in the details of construction and combinations of parts other than those'illustrated in the 'acconk panying drawings, if desired, Without in any way departing from the spirit. and scope of the invention.

Having thus fully described niy invention, what I claiin as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

An engine comprising a base having bearings, a crank-shaft mounted in said bearing, said engine having a steam-cylinder, steamchest and auxiliary cylinder, said crank-` shaft having pitinan and piston-rod connections with the steanrcylinder, said crankshaft having p'itinan and piston-rod connections with said. steainchest, a spur-gear carried by said crank-shaft, said base having guides, a rack-bar to reciprocate in said guides, said rack-bar having pitinan and piston-rod connections with the said auxiliary cylinder, a sliding element to reciprocate between said guides for raising the rack-bar tocause said spuregear to rotate in a forward direction for the purpose of overcoming'` the dead-center, said sliding element havin g can".- teeth upon the lower surface thereof, the base of said guides havingr recesses to coperate with said Cain-teeth. l

In testimony whereof I have hereto affixed iny signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES G. GILREATH.

Witnesses:

O. F. BLEvrNs, l. S. GAMBILL. 

